The Weeping Woman

Yesterday onetimeblind spent the whole day in New York City. We had so much fun and our day was filled with laughter on every corner. We started out by walking to Times Square and catching the subway to Grand Central Station. We then took the subway to the bottom of Manhattan to visit the Statue of Liberty. When we finished there, we took a train to the Village, Washington Square Park, Little Italy, Central Park, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center and finally ending up in Times Square again that night. We were told it would rain, but it only came when we were eating lunch and a little sprinkle at the park.

We all agreed that yesterday was a day where time seemed strange to us. By the time we got to Central Park, we had thought we had seen the Statue of Liberty the day before. And with every moment came a million drops of laughter and memories. Except one moment. The moment where everything stopped.

I had never taken the boat to the island before, so it was a new and exciting thing for me. I had been told it wasn't a big deal, but I thought it was one of the best parts of the trip. We walked to the pier to get our tickets and us girls needed to take a restroom break. When I washed my hands I noticed an older woman, probably in her sixties, air drying her hands and walking out. She looked Italian and was just as disturbed by the dirty bathroom as I was. But this was New York, and in Battery Park, so I didn't expect much more. As she walked away, I thought about how many different cultures are in New York. It is so amazing. Earlier in the day, we saw a school bus full of Jewish men. Ryan and Laura were crossing the street and they almost got hit by the bus. One would think God's chosen would be a bit kinder, but, I guess everyone has a schedule to keep.

We boarded the boat that crossed the waters to see the Statue of Liberty up close. I took pictures the whole way so I could get a good feel for how far away we really were on land. The boat was filled with people of every nation it seemed, and all of us seemed to have questions. "Are we stopping at the Statue first, or Ellis Island?" ,a man next to us asked. My friend replied, "I think they are the same island.". He was wrong, and the kind gentleman shortly told him so. Laura got sea sick on the trip, but I loved it. I liked getting closer the the lady who represents freedom to us all.

We stepped onto the island, and much to my surprise, it was filled with buildings. Gift shops, refreshments, workers buildings, etc. We walked to a tent that was filled with souvenirs and as I approached it, I noticed the Italian woman from earlier walking past me quickly, her face looked strange. I followed her back to a small sitting area. I was just wanting to make sure she was ok. It looked like she was going to cry, but I wasn't sure. I took a picture. I know I shouldn't have, I broke into her private moment and stole from it, but I didn't want to forget, and I knew I was learning something. I started walking towards her to ask if I could help somehow. Her husband past me and reached her first at which time I decided this moment wasn't really to include me. He talked to her. Stood above her. Sat next to her. And she cried.

As I walked away, I started crying. I knew the group would wonder where I was and what I was doing, so I tried to catch up. But I couldn't stop wondering why this woman was crying. It made me wonder if this moment, seeing the Statue of Liberty, to her, was worth more than the $3 magnet at the gift shop. I wondered if for her, it meant freedom. Maybe she came to America to have a free life and to start over. Maybe she misses her family that she left behind, and her husband can do nothing but tell her they made the right move. Maybe she is being ridiculed for leaving her country, and her family wont speak to her or her children any more. She cried.

I know the tears could have meant anything that day. But for some reason, I just felt they meant something dear, something precious. She knows something I could not possibly understand. She worked for something I inherited. She understands the cost of freedom. I walked on and stood in line to watch 100 lbs of pressure form an image of the Statue of Liberty on my penny. God bless the USA.